


Just keep Swimming

by midnightmumblings



Category: SB19 (Band)
Genre: Idiots in Love, M/M, Pining, Swimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29546841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightmumblings/pseuds/midnightmumblings
Summary: In which Josh doesn't know how to swim, needs new friends, and has to keep his poor bisexual heart from exploding because of the gorgeous swim coach, Justin.
Relationships: Justin De Dios/Josh Cullen Santos
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	Just keep Swimming

**Author's Note:**

> I am not a swimming coach, so this might not be exactly how swimming classes go. I just wanted to write some Pining!Josh.
> 
> Enjoy! Stan SB19!

Hindsight really was a bitch.

Josh should have known that the moment he accidentally confessed to his friends that he didn’t know how to swim - at all - and they stared at him weirdly as if he was confessing to a heinous crime like killing puppies with his bare hands during the weekends.

“What?”

“You don’t know how to swim?” Pau asked again, disbelief in his tone, and Josh could not help but roll his eyes.

“It’s not a big deal. I know how to float, but that’s about it,” he replied, crossing his arms as if that would somehow diffuse the situation and prevent it from escalating any further. Because Josh knows his friends. He knows damn well that they are already plotting something because they have the worst goddamn poker faces he’s ever seen on anyone, dead or alive.

“You’re almost 30, how the hell do you not know how to swim?” Ken asked, leaning back against his chair. 

Josh glared at him. “I’m not 30 yet, dipshit, and I never had the time to learn how. Can’t exactly go for a swim when all I could think about was getting food on the table for the next day,” he snapped. 

At the very least, Ken had the decency to look chastised, but apparently, they were still not letting up on this topic.

“You should at least learn the basics,” Stell pointed out. “What if we’re stuck on a sinking ship? What then?”

“Oh because we get on ships all the time, do we?” Josh couldn’t help but ask sarcastically. “Look, I never found the time to learn, it’s not a big deal, can we just drop it and maybe consider this the one thing you didn’t really know about me? It’s been awhile since we all saw each other, and I would really like to spend the rest of the night enjoying myself before I have to return to work on Monday.”

Thankfully, they dropped the topic, but Josh did not miss the knowing looks they sent each other. It made a chill run down his spine as he grabbed for another beer, knowing full well he’d have to keep on the watch for any more shenanigans they might have in store.

He knew his friends were not evil by any means, but he wouldn’t put it past them to make attempts at correcting what they believed to be such a giant faux pas on Josh’s part. 

Josh would not be surprised if it ends up with him being thrown into a pool at some point in the foreseeable future.

* * *

Okay, look, his point was he didn’t need to learn  _ now.  _ There were a lot more important things he could be doing instead of learning how to swim, and he was convinced that it wasn’t a necessary life skill he needed to develop. He could float, and he could tread water for a few seconds before eventually tiring himself out, so in the event that they ever find themselves on a sinking ship, Josh was fairly confident that he’d be able to keep himself afloat for a bit until he could grab something that would keep him afloat. 

And besides, ships should have life vests. He’d be damned if he got on a ship and didn’t have a life vest to ensure his safety aboard. 

Point is, he could be using his time doing something else, but Pau had all but dragged him out of his apartment despite his protests, and threw a bag at him, hands on his hips as he barked at Josh to follow along and “hurry up, we don’t have all damn day!”

They drove for a while, and Josh took advantage of the trip to try and doze off again, but just as he managed to drift off, he felt the car stop and Pau nudge him awake.

Blearily, he blinked his eyes open and an exasperated groan escaped his lips. 

“What are we doing here?”

_ Here,  _ being the Marikina Sports Complex, and he felt dread overcome him as he stepped out of the vehicle.

“Look,” Pau began as he urged Josh to keep walking. “I know you said you didn’t need to learn, but we think it’ll be a good thing for you. Besides, think of it as exercise. We’re all here to support you.”

He gestured to the bleachers where he saw Ken and Stell, already in their swimwear, wave at him. 

Josh sighed. This was apparently a battle he wasn’t going to win.

“We signed you up for beginners’ swimming lessons, so get dressed. The coach should be here any minute,” Stell said, and Josh couldn’t help the huff that escaped his lips at that.  _ Beginners’ swimming lessons,  _ surely he was hardly a beginner?

He opened his mouth to say as much, but Pau fixed him with a look, and well, Josh was slightly terrified of him so he wordlessly walked past his friends and got dressed in the locker room. He let out a sigh of relief when Pau packed him his good swimming trunks, and not the neon pink nightmare that Ken got for him as a gag gift a year ago. 

When he walked back out, Stell and Ken were already in the water, essentially just goofing around, while Pau was still by the bleachers, tying his hair up.

“So, where’s this beginners’ class?” He drawled, walking towards them. He felt slightly exposed being only in his swim trunks, but at least it was still early, and not many people were around to take advantage of the pool.

Just as Pau was about to respond, a voice called out from across the pool: “Okay, all those who signed up for beginners’ swimming classes, please come over.”

Josh looked over, and he was thankful management put non-slip mats around the pool area because he was certain he would have slipped and hit his head and  _ die  _ all because of the other man standing across the crystal blue, chlorinated waters.

The man had a slim figure, but he had some build around his shoulders and biceps. He was clad in  _ sinfully tight  _ swimming trunks, that Josh knew for a fact was for ease of movement, but did absolutely nothing to calm the raging  _ want  _ coursing through his veins at the sight of powerful thighs that he wanted to choke himself with. There was a steel whistle on a chain around his neck, draped gracefully on his chest - and what a chest indeed - and when Josh finally managed to drag his eyes up, he was met with a kind smile and fluffy, dark brown hair that he wanted to run his fingers through. 

_ Fuck. _

“Well, are you going?” Pau asked him, but his voice sounded distant. Josh felt rooted on the spot, unable to move. Thankfully, none of his friends yet noticed the cause of his sudden distress, and if they asked, he’ll chalk it up to some sudden aquaphobia that he had acquired in childhood.

“I’ll just...I’ll go…” he managed to say, and he could feel their eyes burning holes in his back as he cautiously made his way towards the group that was forming near the shallow end. He could hear his friends snickering behind him somewhere, and he flipped them off quickly, causing another round of laughter. 

He approached the class, and Josh took a moment to assess the situation. The beginners’ class was mostly made up of little kids, and the oldest was probably in their pre-teens. He felt a bit out of place, in his late twenties, sticking out like a sore thumb in a group of literal children. As he stepped closer, the man looked up at him and regarded him with a cautious smile.

And shit, it was a  _ nice smile  _ okay? Josh had visions of waking up next to that smile, peppering the face attached with kisses while they stayed and languished in bed all day.

“Uh, can I help you sir?”

Josh blinked, and the smile was gone, replaced with a concerned look. He belatedly realized what he looked like in that moment, standing five feet away from a group of children, creepily staring at the man who was undoubtedly their coach. Shit, if Josh were in his shoes, he’d probably already sucker punch himself.

Once he managed to get his brain engaged, he shook his head. “Sorry, uh...this is the beginners’ class, yes?”

“Oh, yes, it is. Are you one of the parents?” He asked, gesturing to the gaggle of toddlers splashing around in the pool with their floaties on.

“No...uh...I signed up for the class?” He replied, wincing at how pathetic that sounded. “Well, my friends did. I told them literally  _ once  _ that I don’t know how to swim, and they decided to sign me up for lessons.”

The smile started to return on the man’s face in spite of Josh’s rambling, so he figured he did okay.

“Well, you’re a little older than I expected, but I don’t judge,” came the response. “Anyone who wants to learn to swim is always welcome to join. I’m Justin, by the way.”

“I’m Josh,” he replied, and he didn’t  _ giggle okay shut up Ken. _

“Well, please feel free to join the group in the water. We’re only going over basics today, and we’re not leaving the shallow end. I’m sure you won’t need floaties,” Justin said with a grin, and maybe Josh was incredibly out of it because it looked like Justin gave him a once over but he wasn’t sure if that was indeed the case. He sincerely hoped it wasn’t, just for his sanity. 

He got into the water eventually, keenly aware that his three best friends were watching him, and he resisted the urge to flip them off again. The water barely went up to his waist, and he felt dumb standing there with children.

"Okay kids and uh...Josh...," Justin then began as he waded into the water, flashing Josh a smile that most certainly  _ did not make his dick twitch with interest, thank you very much _ . "Today, we are going to start warm ups first to get us ready for swimming. Wouldn't want to get a cramp, would we?"

This was the point Josh figured he was going to die. He would pass out and drown in the water, and his obituary would read that he gave himself a stroke watching the literal man of his dreams  _ teach swimming. _

Because  _ of course  _ Justin was good with the kids. As he tried to follow the warm ups, he noticed how Justin would show the movements first, and then he'd wade around the group and gently help the kids get more comfortable in the water. He checked in on them as they toddled about in their little floaties, providing words of encouragement and keeping them calm as best he could.

So now, not only was his dick interested, his heart was too. 

Fuck.

He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he completely missed the muscular body that appeared next to him, but when he did, Josh yelped and flailed inelegantly, managing to somehow tumble into the water with a loud splash.

"Oh my god," someone yelled, and Josh was being yanked out of the water by some very muscular arms and well, wasn't this just grand.

"Are you okay? Sorry if I startled you," Justin was saying, and Josh could barely conceive a coherent thought. Justin was standing so close to him, droplets of water sluicing down his bare chest, and it took all of Josh's willpower to force his eyes to look  _ up. _

"Yeah uh…" Josh tried to find words, he really did, but it was getting more difficult the more he looked into Justin's beautiful brown eyes. "...cramp. Got a cramp...I need to…"

It was a piss poor excuse, that he knew, but Justin readily took action, helping him out of the pool, and stretching his leg for him, and fuck Josh would gladly let himself be dragged about like a rag doll as long as it was Justin doing it.

"Just keep stretching it, I'll just check on the kids," Justin instructed him, letting go of his leg and foot and  _ no, Josh did not whine, _ and he did as he was told, trying his best not to blatantly stare at the gorgeous man as he smiled and essentially played around the pool with the little kids.

He hazarded a glance up just to see Ken, Stell, and Pau grinning at him from the opposite end of the pool and shit, they were never going to let him live this down, will they?

* * *

The next time Josh saw Pau, he would have no qualms about wrapping his hands around his friend's neck and death gripping the shit out of him.

Because  _ of course  _ Pau paid for him to attend beginners' swimming courses, and  _ of fucking course _ the fees were nonrefundable. If there was one thing Josh hated more, it was wasting money, and Pau knew that. Josh was left with no choice but to suck it up and make his way to the Marikina Sports Complex the next Saturday because he refused to let Pau's money go to waste.

He'd have to settle, then, for committing homicide. Ken would help him hide the body.

He took a deep breath, pushing all thoughts of murder aside, and entered the pool area. A few parents from last week were already there, fitting the little floaties on their kids, perhaps whispering words of encouragement. Josh wondered, for a fleeting moment, what his life would be like if he had a childhood different from the one he grew up in.

He made his way to the changing rooms, got dressed as quick as he could, and shoved his stuff in the rented locker. With no Paulo, Stell, and Ken today - and thank God for that - he could at least make it through today without embarrassing himself any further than he did last week.

The relief was short-lived, however, when he walked out of the changing rooms and collided with a solid wall of  _ someone. _

Josh staggered back a bit, a snappy retort on the tip of his tongue, when his brain finally caught up with his eyes. And his body.

Because there were strong hands on his waist, a steadying presence that made Josh's face heat up. Those strong hands were attached to long arms, which were attached to an incredibly attractive torso clothed in a white tank top. 

"Are you okay?" 

Josh finally looked up and the words died in his throat at the sight of Justin, brown eyes swirling with concern. 

He managed to stammer out a reply. "Yeah, I...I was just…I wasn't looking…sorry…"

He half expected Justin to stare at him weirdly, like he was a man with a few too many screws loose in his brain (and Josh could  _ feel  _ those little bastards rattling around his skull) but Justin surprised him with a smile that was half-exasperated, half-fond. 

His brain tripped on the  _ fond  _ part of that.

"You better be careful," Justin finally said, a teasing smile on his face, dragging Josh out of his thoughts. "We wouldn't want you to trip and fall."

If he thought there was some inflection to the way Justin said "fall," Josh decided he was too far gone to think about it. Justin's hands were still on his hips, and he almost whined pitifully when he finally retracted them.

"Go warm up, Josh. I'll meet you at the pool," he said, letting go of Josh's hips and clapping him on the shoulder. Josh swallowed, nodded, and dazedly walked towards the designated swim class section, his thoughts going a mile a minute as he tried to wrap his head around what just happened.

He looked up just as Justin approached, and Josh felt his mouth dry at the sight of Justin wearing the same tight swimming trunks paired with a white tank top that complemented his tanned skin really well.

Then Justin smiled at him, wide and toothy, and Josh was pretty sure his heart either skipped a beat or he was going into cardiac arrest.

Fuck, he was so  _ fucked _ .

* * *

He kept coming back. He kept saying that it was only because Pau paid for a 3-month course, and it would be such a shame to let that all go to waste. It wasn’t for any other reason at all, he told himself as he made his way into the familiar changing rooms. He was only going to get his (Pau's) money's worth.

Really.

_ (He's a fucking liar.) _

Surprisingly, despite his hesitations at the beginning, swimming lessons were going...great. Josh found himself amazed that even if he had been lumped into a beginner’s course with kids, the techniques that Justin taught them (once he managed to stop staring and start paying attention) made it easier for him to start treading water without feeling exhausted within the first five seconds. He’d be swimming laps around his friends. Soon. Maybe.

“Good job, Josh, you’re doing really well!”

And of course, receiving praise from Justin never hurt.

Josh never thought he’d have a praise kink big enough to see from space, but the moment Justin started praising him for doing a good job or giving encouragement when Josh didn’t get it right the first time, he started  _ craving  _ for it. 

They’d gotten to know each other a bit more as the weeks progressed. As the class would end, Josh would stay behind a bit, and he and Justin would get to talking by the side of the pool, neither in any particular rush to leave. Justin told him about his actual work in graphic design - he only did the coaching thing part time, apparently - and in kind, Josh regaled him with tales of his own life. At around the sixth week mark, Justin had invited Josh for brunch, and well, was Josh going to say  _ no  _ to that?

But, brunch was just brunch. At Jollibee. They split the bill, said their goodbyes, and Josh even promised he’d do his stretches before the next class. 

His friends, on the other hand, were seemingly unimpressed with the glacial pace Josh has decided to take. Icebergs in the Arctic circle moved faster, apparently.

“I don’t want to rush it!” He exclaimed one night while they were hanging out in Stell’s apartment, sharing two six-packs of beer between them. 

“No, you just decided to chicken out like a little bitch,” Ken shot back with a teasing grin. 

“Seriously,” Pau deadpanned. “When are you going to make a move?”

Josh grimaced. “I can’t. There’s...there’s children there!”

“ _ Putang-  _ Josh, we didn’t tell you to feel him up in the middle of the class!” Stell exclaimed, causing Ken to explode in another round of laughter. “I heard the changing rooms are quite spacious.”

He decided then and there that he needed new friends, fuck them all.

Still, they did have a point. Josh knew he needed to do something about this ridiculous  _ pining  _ he found himself doing, but every single time he managed to scrounge up the courage to say something, Justin's disarming smile - toothy and cheeky and breathtaking - would make him retreat.

He was painfully aware that time was running short, and his window of opportunity was getting narrower by the second. He had to try  _ something. _

Mind made up, Josh marched into the pool complex, determination flooding his body as he looked around for the object of his affections, the apple of his eye, the star of his wet dreams.

He spotted Justin standing by the pool, near the deep end, looking absolutely delectable in his swimming trunks and black tank top. As if feeling Josh's eyes on him, Justin looked up, and he flashed a smile upon seeing him accompanied with a little wave.

Josh's heart fluttered, and he squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, and took a step forward.

"Hey," Justin greeted him and  _ fuck,  _ Josh was about ready to train a blowtorch to his belly to burn all the goddamn butterflies. How is it possible that one man has the ability to transform him into goo?

"Listen uh," he began, wringing his hands nervously. "Before we start, I just want to ask you something."

"Sure, what's up?" 

"I was wondering if -"

A loud splash cut him off, and before Josh could even get his brain in gear, Justin was no longer in front of him. He belatedly realized that Justin had jumped in the water and was now swimming furiously towards the little girl that had apparently fallen into the deep end.

The rescue took less than two minutes. Justin had grabbed the little girl, keeping her head above water as he swam one-handed towards the edge where her mom was waiting frantically. She started thanking Justin, all while pulling her little girl close to her, not in the least bothered that she was also getting wet. Justin stayed close, making sure that the girl had no further injuries other than the shock of being submerged in the water.

Once he was certain the little girl would be okay, Justin pushed back from the edge and turned to look at Josh, a huge smile on his face accompanied with a thumbs-up. Josh's breath seized in his chest, heart thumping like a jackhammer behind his ribcage. What he wouldn't give to have that beautiful smile directed at him every day.

He really was a goner, wasn't he?

* * *

Of course, like in true Josh fashion, it all came to a head in the most awkward way possible.

Josh had no idea when the heat in his chest that blazed whenever he set eyes on Justin turned into a painful yearning for him. As the only adult in the class, he and Justin struck somewhat of an easy friendship. Even after the class had ended, Justin tried to get his own swimming time in, doing laps around the pool as Josh watched from the side.

Watching Justin swim was like poetry in motion. Strong shoulders sliced through water, the man propelled forward by powerful legs. Josh would be content to sit by the pool and watch him get a workout in.

He tried to make progress. But every time he opened his mouth, something or other inevitably interrupted them. At first, it was the little girl. Next time, an irate parent called Justin's attention, berating him because he felt his son wasn't learning anything (Josh had wanted to sucker punch the guy, his fists clenched and ready to go at any indication the altercation moved from verbal to physical, but Justin calmly spoke, reminded the guy that it was a  _ beginner's class,  _ and he cannot expect his five year old to start swimming laps like Michael Phelps.)

Why it was so difficult to ask him out, Josh did not know, but it seemed like the universe conspired against him by keeping Justin just out of his reach.

Josh had resigned himself to a life alone once he vaulted over the 25 year mark. He was prepared for it, already envisioning a future as a cantankerous old man yelling at teenagers.

Then Justin de Dios whirled into his life, and Josh's visions of the future changed.

He just needed to take the first step.

"SO STOP FUCKING WITH ME UNIVERSE!" He whisper-yelled as he stuffed his duffle bag angrily in the locker room. The last day of swimming lessons was already here, and Josh wanted to cry because every second that passed meant his window of opportunity closing in on him.

"You know, talking to yourself is usually a sign of madness."

He most certainly did not yelp, but he did make some noise as he whirled around to see Justin leaning against the doorway of the locker room, watching him with a grin on his face.

"How long have you been standing there?" He asked, trying his utmost to keep his voice level and not cracking like a 13 year old.

"Long enough to see you curse the universe," Justin replied with a shrug. "So, why are we cursing the universe, exactly?"

Josh breathed out. "I...It's a long story."

"Well, I have time. The last lesson just ended, and the new batch of kiddies come in a month." Justin pushed himself off the wall and approached. "Will you be taking more lessons?"

"Unless my friends decide to pay for further lessons, I think I'll content myself with the basics in case I decide to board a sinking ship," Josh replied with a huff, and Justin chuckled at that.

"Such a shame, I had been looking forward to giving you more  _ guidance." _

Josh's eyebrows raised at that. Did he imagine that inflection? 

"Oh?" He pressed, trying to keep his voice neutral. "Well, I would not be opposed to further private lessons."

And oh fuck when did Justin get so close?

"I think that can be arranged," Justin murmured, stepping into his space. "And I'll take payment in the form of a date."

"You - what?"

"Did I read this wrong?" Justin asked, still smiling but he looked a bit more worried now. "I've been wanting to ask you out, but there never seemed to be a perfect time to do so."

"What really? I've been trying to ask you out too!"

Justin's smile brightened at that, and well, Josh was a simple bisexual man. He was weak for pretty smiles on gorgeous men, which Justin had in spades.

"Well, what do you say to dinner, Friday? 7pm?"

Josh was aware he was nodding dumbly, but the searing kiss that Justin planted on his lips quieted his anxious thoughts, and he used his energy to kiss back just as sweetly.

"And maybe," Justin murmured as he pulled away and brought his lips to Josh's ear. "We can get a private pool and I can give you more  _ lessons." _

"I'd like that," Josh breathed out, pressing his lips against Justin's again, licking into his mouth, and fuck, if they were not in public, he'd very much climb Justin like a tree and maybe do more than make out languidly. "I'd like that very much."

"Oh we are going to have so much fun," Justin said, grinning as his hands slid down Josh's body, pulling him close by cupping his ass.

Pau was definitely going to get a thank you basket next week.


End file.
